Inter-provincial trade limitations have gone viral, touted as a solution to U.S. tariffs. In my last blog, "SESAME STREET TAUGHT US, COOPERATION MAKES IT HAPPEN,'" I explained that the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is ultimately responsible for any regulatory changes that effect the trucking industry and inter-provincial trade.
The CCMTA has a long-standing relationship with Transport Canada—dating back to 1947 when Transport Canada granted it authority. The CCMTA is an incorporated body whose membership includes representatives from Canada’s 14 provincial, federal, and territorial governments, each appointed by their respective jurisdictions.
Within the CCMTA, several committees focus on specific issues, including:
These committees establish working groups that seek solutions to pressing issues. The committee level is where the real work happens. The matter of inter-provincial trade barriers will likely fall under Compliance and Regulatory Affairs.
The CCMTA published its 2024–2027 strategic plan before the recent surge in tariff discussions. Given the growing focus on inter-jurisdictional trade, priorities may have shifted. One of the CCMTA’s strategic goals is to develop and maintain Reciprocal Pan-Canadian and International Agreements. The strategic plan includes examining:
Rather than focusing on international agreements, the CCMTA appears to be prioritizing Pan-Canadian agreements—meaning nationwide alignment.
Past Efforts: Heavy Truck Weight and Dimension Limits
In 2019, the Heavy Truck Weight and Dimension Limits for Interprovincial Operations in Canada document was released, based on the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Interprovincial Weights and Dimensions. Between 1991 and 2019, nine amendments were made to accommodate evolving technologies and industry needs, such as:
This is typical of government regulation—reactive rather than proactive. Technological advancements (e.g., electronic logging devices, ELDs) force unprepared regulators to adjust, rather than anticipating and preparing for industry changes. An example is there is still no ELD interpretation guide from the Federal Government or Alberta Transportation and the regulation is 4 years old. The 2019 amendments (Amendment 10) set the vehicle weight and dimension regulations that the trucking industry operates under today.
Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) & Trade Barriers
In 2023, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) released a report titled Interprovincial Trade Barriers in Trucking. The report, based on a survey of CTA members, identified multiple trade barriers, including:
The CCMTA’s strategic plan and the 2025 Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT) Workplan align on many of these issues. However, some trade barriers may never be fully resolved, while others require significant federal and provincial collaboration.
Why Is It So Hard to Remove Inter-Provincial Trade Barriers for Trucking?
Simple answer: a lack of leadership and direction.
Transport Canada granted regulatory policy authority to the CCMTA, which consists of 14 representatives—each with different priorities. Achieving consensus takes years of meetings, drafts, and rewrites. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) move slowly.
If the federal Transport Minister provided clear directives, stating that inter-provincial trade is Priority #1, the CCMTA and provinces would have to fast-track agreements. Transport Canada may need to act as referee and tie-breaker to push progress forward. More committees, working groups, and studies aren’t the answer—we need decisive action.
Not every jurisdiction will get exactly what it wants, but it’s time to focus on the big picture.
The Root of the Problem: Provincial Control
The weights and dimension 2019 MoU states:
"Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, each of the provinces and territories will permit vehicles which comply with the appropriate weights and dimensions described in the following section to travel on a designated system of highways in their jurisdiction. It should be recognized that each jurisdiction continues to retain authority to allow more liberal weights and dimensions, or different types of vehicle configurations, for trucking operations within their jurisdiction. In addition, for trucking operations which take place between adjacent jurisdictions with compatible weight and dimension regulations which are more liberal than those specified in this document, the local regulations will prevail."
This explains why complete harmonization of regulations has never been achieved—each province and territory maintain authority over its own regulations.
A Call for Action: A Regulatory Reckoning
The transportation industry needs a regulation overhaul, just as it did during deregulation in 1987. If the federal government is serious about removing inter-jurisdictional trade barriers, it should:
The industry doesn’t need more bureaucracy—it needs bold leadership and immediate action to remove the barriers that have stifled trucking progress for decades.
Seriously? Canada’s current federal Minister of Transportation has made an announcement that will surely solve everything. The regulations that are often criticized as barriers to trade between Canadian provinces could all crumble within a month, according to federal cabinet minister Anita Anand. Following an announcement at the Port of Halifax on Wednesday, a reporter asked Anand if "interprovincial trade barriers [could] be dealt with, wiped away in 30 days?" "The short answer to your question is yes," responded Anand, the minister of transport and internal trade. Anand suggested her optimism was based on an emergency meeting last week between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers. "We are making incredible, fast-paced progress with all of the provinces and territories," she said.
Really? Yes? That's optimistic—considering the government's track record on this very issue.
For decades, provinces have been hindered by barriers that impede interprovincial trade, costing businesses, industries, and, frankly, everyone in the country. The lack of regulatory alignment has been so bad that in 2017, a push was made to start some sort of interprovincial regulatory cooperation. Fast forward eight years and—surprise!—not much has changed. Many provinces, including Alberta, have resorted to adopting memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to handle region-specific issues. An example would be the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA), between Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia to address regional concerns.
Why is it acceptable for the government to do nothing for eight years without delivering any meaningful action? Accountability is non-existent, and there’s no sense of urgency. But why should we expect any different? Just look to the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations—implemented by the federal government in 2020—and still, no interpretation guide from either the federal or Alberta government. The carrier profile enforcement information data transfer system has been broken since 2019, again, nobody cares.
The idea of harmonizing road transportation regulations is old. In the 1970s, we had the Roads and Transportation Association of Canada (RTAC), which was supposed to make life easier for truckers by aligning weight and dimension regulations. These efforts culminated in the publication of the "Pavement Management Guide" in 1977. In 1988 we tried again with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Heavy Vehicle Weights and Dimensions, RTAC the re-mix. This aimed to harmonize truck weight and dimension regulations across Canada. The implementation process faced challenges because of differing regional preferences which are still in place today.
The fact is that Minister Anand’s objectives sound admirable but, there’s a catch. The reality is the federal government doesn’t have the power to fix this. The feds handed control over to the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), a body that is supposed to facilitate federal regulations for provincial and territorial governments. But here’s the kicker: the federal government only provides a measly $4.44 million to the provinces and territories for road safety and transport-related initiatives. It’s no wonder things haven’t moved an inch.
So, how can Minister Anand’s bold vision become a reality? Is harmonization even possible? The answer is yes—but don’t get too excited. It’s not going to be easy, and some of the regional differences are never going to disappear. Canada’s geography and diverse terrain mean that some differences are simply unavoidable. What’s needed is clear direction from the federal government, telling the CCMTA that aligning regulations is a top priority. The CCMTA needs to step up and get everyone in a room to hash it out. After all, they managed to implement MELT within a year after the Humboldt tragedy—so surely, they can handle something as basic as truck weight and dimension regulations.
But while the feds and the CCMTA fiddle around with their big ideas, Alberta must address some glaring issues themselves. Here are a few suggestions that could make a big difference:
Let’s not forget the issue of consultation with Indigenous communities. Consultation with Indigenous communities must happen when changes to regulations that impact the weights and dimensions allowed on highways that run through traditional territories. The days of Canada just bulldozing the roads through is over, communities must be involved. This is going to be more important as mining and exploration increases in the north. Those projects involve equipment and people that need to get north on limited road infrastructure, not on a 62,500 kg RTAC highway. If these projects do not include Indigenous consultation, you can bet legal action will follow. This can only delay and increase the costs of projects—something Canada can't afford as industries look to expand.
Government uses the word collaboration freely but rarely practices what they preach. In order for Minister Arnad’s wishes to become reality there must be collaboration. Collaboration by the 14 representatives to the CCMTA without ego, avarice, tribalism or elitism. Regulatory alignment is just one of a few issues facing the road transportation industry. Recently the federal government has limited the manufacture of manual transmission models to 10% of their total heavy-duty truck sales. The decision is driven by the need to comply with stricter greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards. Certain industries require equipment with manual transmissions, and this will drive up the cost for those carriers to configure equipment. These challenges on top of the Carbon Tax increase in April and the upcoming US tariffs are going to make a difficult industry impossible. If the feds and the CCMTA can’t accomplish alignment this time around the industry will remain in its current unstable condition. The only solution is collaboration, we are all Canadian, on our home on native land. Cooperation makes it happen.
